Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Beautiful ruby red, with deeply concentrated color through to the edges of the wine. When swirled, this wine presents a tight and springy surface that settles quickly after swirling – leaving behind skinny legs that move very steadily down the glass

Smell – Juicy cherry and raspberry are fully intertwined with a really rich smoked meat aroma. These great smells are followed by blackberry, cassis, blueberry, custard, vanilla, warm oak and a subtle hint of herbs

Feel – Uniquely oblong, in a good way. This is a difficult concept to describe, so please see Conclusion below for more on this. There is an up-front brightness at the tip, that leads to a mouth coating warmth and big flavors, with lush medium tannins on the mid-palate. Overall, a unique experience!

Taste – Bright, fruity and delicious, with layers of real fruit flavors that almost precisely mirror the nose

Finish – Light at first, then something exciting happens! Flavors that start off light seem to ramp way up – and then tail off slowly, leaving behind a mouth-watering dryness

Conclusion – This great wine was a really pleasant surprise that must be experienced! Unique aromas and flavors with a super unique feel and a finish that will delight you. This wonderful wine is no novelty though, it is a beautifully blended and delicious treat that is as tasty as it is fun to drink. With enough brightness to allow pairing with most foods, this high Q.P.R. gets my recommendation as a stock-up for the holidays wine that is sure to impress your guests – without breaking the bank.

Guest Reviewer Alert!

Today, we welcome back Agent Noir from grapelive.com. What follows are his thoughts on today’s wine:

“Having tasted and enjoyed Ty’s early releases, I feel reassured and am happy to report he is even better now! This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Malbec is lush and big fruited with good grip and intensity. The fruit is bold, but layered and clean with bright flavors leading with Cabernet fruit. The red berry is classic Sonoma, and the mix of blueberry and brambly spices are nice additions here. This serious wine has some power and tannins that hold together all that fruit and should let this wine age really well. This is also a great value, especial with its cellaring potential!” -Agent Noir

Mission Report:

TY CATON: This is Ty.

AGENTRED: Ty Caton, Agent Red calling.

TY: Are we on a secure line?

RED: We are. I know how busy you are, so thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. Is harvest keeping you busy?

TY: Yes, but we’re about half way through. Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, and Petite Sirah are off – and next week the Cabernet Sauvignon will start to come off. By mid-month, we’ll be done and crush will continue. I won’t get a great until right around Thanksgiving!

RED: Such is the life of a winemaker, eh?!

TY: Indeed. I have to tell you, 2008 is looking really great. We had some crazy weather, but because of our elevation, we didn’t get hit hard by the frost like other wineries did.

RED: That’s good news! Tell me, Ty, how your career in winemaking began. Are you a lifer?

TY: Actually, I have a background in real estate development. When I was 26 years old, after completing a real estate project, I caught the wine bug. My parents has land in Napa. We became partners, and I began growing grapes.

RED: But that wasn’t enough for you, was it…

TY: No. I had made good friends with our neighbor, who was planting his vineyards at the same time. He turned out to be the winemaker for Ravenswood – and he continues with Ravenswood to this day.

RED: That’s Peter Mathis, right?

TY: Correct. We worked with Peter and, in 2000, released our first vintage. I’ve been honing my winemaking abilities ever since.

RED: I’d say that you’ve done a great job in that regard. Your 2005 Field Blend Red Wine is a super-delicious treat. Here at Wine Spies HQ, we really love the wine.

TY: Thanks. The Field Blend Red is a really special wine. I call it my ‘mini-TyTanium’.

RED: So-called for your TyTanium wine – your flagship, right?

TY: Exactly, but where my TyTanium is a $65 wine, this Field Blend is less than half the price.

RED: We declare the wine to have an exceptional QPR. Its really a great wine, with very distinctive layers of aromas and unique flavors. Its delicious!

TY: I’m glad that you like it. I pick grapes for flavor and blend for maximum effect. I strive to create head turning wines that are rich and deep, yet approachable and fun to drink.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Ty Caton Vineyards tasting room can be seen in this satellite photo.

What the winery says

About This Wine:

Deep and rich in color, this wine’s enhanced warm oak nose leads to flavors of black currant, blackberry and plum. The soft texture leads to an extended finish with hints of chocolate.

About The Winery:

Ty Caton Vineyards is dedicated to creating wines of distinction with an authentic sense of place. Our commitment to excellence begins in the Caton Vineyard, where Winemaker Ty Caton sustainably farms all of the grapes used in our Sonoma Valley wine. As one of the few exclusively estate producers in Sonoma Valley, California, Ty personally works with the grapes from soil to glass. He handcrafts his wines in small lots with an acute awareness of the land that enables him to make wines that truly showcase the vineyards. Ty Caton Vineyards is forging a new definition of quality in winemaking and Actively Seeking Excellence.

About The Vineyard:

CATONVINEYARD – Located in the foothills of Sonoma Valley, the Caton Vineyard is defined by its sustainable farming and belief that healthier vineyards produce very unique and distinctive wines. The vineyards have multiple sun exposures, soil types, and vary in altitude over 300 feet between each other. Our meticulous farming practices showcase the love for our land and our passion for the wines that come from it.

Winemaking:

We achieve wines of authenticity by working with nature to showcase the true flavors of the grapes. Ty Caton personally manages the entire winemaking process, from planting the vines, to farming the grapes, to making the wine here in Sonoma Valley. By using exclusively estate grown grapes he is able to have complete control over the process and personally tend to the wine from soil to glass. His acute awareness of the land enables him to make wines that show the great potential of the vineyard site.

Ty Caton’s philosophy is that wine is a natural product and should be treated as such. His winemaking uses limited intervention, which allows the wines to speak for themselves and import the true expression of the vineyard. He ferments with wild yeast that naturally occurs in the grapes so that the wines are manipulated as little as possible. As a Sonoma Valley winemaker and grape grower he strives to produce the ‘wow factor’ by creating wines that are bold, highly extracted and beautifully structured. Ty Caton believes that blending is an art form and uses master blending techniques to combine different grape varieties and clones to create wines with many layers of complexity in aroma and flavor. By allowing the grapes to show their true character and enhancing it through blending, Ty Caton is forging a new definition of quality in Sonoma Valley winemaking.

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